Best time to fish in West Ocean City
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (EDT) · Maryland, United States Today, Thu, Oct 29 · EDT- High tides
- 10:57 am and 11:07 pm
- Major periods
- 2:39–4:39 am and 3:12–5:12 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 7:24 am–6:04 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to fish in West Ocean City is 4:10 pm to 6:10 pm, with the 5:12 pm low tide, a major period, sunset, falling pressure and some swell. It's a good day (7/10). The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 8/10.
Your day in West Ocean City at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; the blue curve is the tide; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | High tides | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 7good day | 4:10–6:10 pm3:00–4:30 am | ▲ 10:57 am ▲ 11:07 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 8good day | 5:10–6:20 pm4:00–5:40 am | ▲ 11:55 am | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 5average day | 5:20–7:20 pm5:00–6:50 am | ▲ 12:05 am ▲ 12:59 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 6average day | 6:00–6:40 am12:40–1:40 pm | ▲ 1:12 am ▲ 1:11 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 7good day | 6:20–7:40 am1:20–2:10 pm | ▲ 1:29 am ▲ 2:24 pm | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 6average day | 6:30–8:30 am8:20–10:20 pm | ▲ 2:49 am ▲ 3:28 pm | Waning crescent |
| Wed 4 | 6average day | 4:20–5:20 pm7:40–10:40 am | ▲ 3:55 am ▲ 4:22 pm | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the tide, the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather.
What can you catch in West Ocean City?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of West Ocean City: summer flounder, longfin inshore squid, weakfish, spot and bluefish. October is one of the months when these are seen most: longfin inshore squid, weakfish and bluefish.
- Summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus · fish · 370 records Photo: U.S. Government - NOAA · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Longfin inshore squid Doryteuthis pealeii · cephalopod · 325 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Weakfish Cynoscion regalis · fish · 280 records Photo: Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Service… · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Spot Leiostomus xanthurus · fish · 235 records Photo: NOAA's Fisheries Collection; Collection of Brandi Noble · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix · fish · 224 records Photo: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC. · public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Scup Stenotomus chrysops · fish · 223 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus · fish · 221 records Photo: Carvalho-Souza, Gómez & González-Ortegón (2024) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Black sea bass Centropristis striata · fish · 97 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
What anglers catch most in Maryland
Recreational saltwater catch across the whole state in September and October (2021–2025 average), from NOAA's recreational fishing survey (MRIP). It counts fish kept and fish released; bait fish are left out.
From shore
Beaches, piers, jetties and rocks
- White perch 1.7 million * 60% released
- Spot 830,000 75% released
- Channel catfish 140,000 75% released
- Summer flounder 120,000 * 95% released
- Atlantic croaker 90,000 * 100% released
Private or rental boat
Private boats and rentals without a captain
- White perch 590,000 60% released
- Spot 530,000 65% released
- Striped bass 510,000 90% released
- Atlantic croaker 190,000 95% released
- Black sea bass 120,000 90% released
Charter or party boat
Charters and party (head) boats
- Striped bass 48,000 45% released
- Spot 32,000 * 45% released
- Black sea bass 30,000 75% released
- Bluefish 20,000 15% released
- Summer flounder 6,400 75% released
Fish a year · * Less precise figure: use with caution
All year: the top three every two months
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | No data |
| Mar–Apr | White perch, Blue catfish, Channel catfish |
| May–Jun | Spot, White perch, Atlantic croaker |
| Jul–Aug | Spot, Atlantic croaker, White perch |
| Sep–Oct | White perch, Spot, Channel catfish |
| Nov–Dec | White perch, Blue catfish, Striped bass |
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | No data |
| Mar–Apr | White perch, Striped bass, Blue catfish |
| May–Jun | White perch, Spot, Striped bass |
| Jul–Aug | White perch, Spot, Atlantic croaker |
| Sep–Oct | White perch, Spot, Striped bass |
| Nov–Dec | Striped bass, Tautog, Black sea bass |
| Months | Species |
|---|---|
| Jan–Feb | No data |
| Mar–Apr | Tautog, Spiny dogfish, Conger eel |
| May–Jun | Striped bass, Black sea bass, Spot |
| Jul–Aug | Spot, Striped bass, Atlantic croaker |
| Sep–Oct | Striped bass, Spot, Black sea bass |
| Nov–Dec | Striped bass, Black sea bass, Spiny dogfish |
These are estimates from a survey of anglers, not a count, and they cover the whole state, not this exact spot. Each figure is the average for one year in those two months, rounded. Only species with a relative standard error of up to 50% are shown, NOAA's standard; those marked * are between 30% and 50%, and NOAA advises using them with caution.
Source: NOAA Fisheries, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), wave-level catch estimates for 2021–2025. Courtesy: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Where the data comes from
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Oceanic Fishing Pier 0.9 mi
- Ocean City Fishing Pier 1.3 mi
- Coast Guard 0.9 mi
- U.S. Coast Guard 0.9 mi
- Boat ramp 0.3 mi
- Boat ramp 1.7 mi
- Boat ramp 2.2 mi
- Sunset Marina 0.3 mi
- Marina 0.4 mi
- All Tackle 0.3 mi
- White Lightning Fishing 0.3 mi
- Ocean City Fishing Center 0.4 mi
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
Artificial reefs and wrecks to fish from a boat
Artificial reefs and wrecks draw fish, so they make good spots to fish from a boat. The nearest ones, within 16 mi.
- Bob Mason Reef 1.0 mi
- Purnell's Reef 2.9 mi
- Kelly's Reef/Little Gull 4.1 mi
- Russell's Reef/Great Gull 6.0 mi
- Isle of Wight Reef ("IOW") 7.8 mi
- Research Reef 9.1 mi
Check the rules before you go: some have closed seasons, protected zones or banned gear. Wreck and reef positions are approximate and not for navigation; a wreck’s depth runs from the top of the hull to the seabed.
Artificial reefs: NOAA and BOEM (MarineCadastre.gov), a U.S. Government work.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Tide: 2 to 3.5 points in the hour before and the hour after each high and low tide. Spring tides (high coefficient) score more, because the water moves faster.
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 3.5 of 5, moon 1 of 2, coefficient 1.5 of 2 and lineup 0 of 1; the weather adds 1.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in West Ocean City
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in West Ocean City
What's the best time to fish in West Ocean City today?
4:10 pm to 6:10 pm, with the 5:12 pm low tide, a major period, sunset, falling pressure and some swell. Also 3:00 am to 4:30 am and 11:10 am to 12:00 pm. Today's rating: 7/10 (good day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in West Ocean City?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 5:10 pm to 6:20 pm, with a rating of 8/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in West Ocean City?
Friday, October 30, at 8/10. Its best window is 5:10 pm to 6:20 pm.
What can you catch in West Ocean City?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 19 mi of West Ocean City: summer flounder, longfin inshore squid, weakfish, spot and bluefish. October is one of the months when these are seen most: longfin inshore squid, weakfish and bluefish. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in West Ocean City today?
Major: 2:39–4:39 am and 3:12–5:12 pm. Minor: 11:07 am–12:07 pm and 8:16–9:16 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in West Ocean City?
Yes. Today high tide is at 10:57 am and 11:07 pm and low tide at 4:05 am and 5:12 pm, with a tide coefficient of 82 (average tides). The hours around each tide change tend to fish best, because moving water carries food.
How is the rating worked out?
From the tide, the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: falling pressure (−0.19 inHg in 24 h), light cross-shore wind (9 mph) and some swell (1.8 ft waves) to stir the water. Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in West Ocean City?
Recreational fishing rules in West Ocean City (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Fishing and Boating Services; offshore, NOAA Fisheries. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about West Ocean City today
Our own calculation: tide from Ocean City Inlet (NOAA), sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)